LIHU‘E – Three young people from Kaua‘i got a chance to chat with former astronaut and retired United States Air Force officer Pamela Melroy in a recent virtual meeting made possible by a partnership between two teachers, one from Kaua‘i and one from New York.
According to her NASA bio, Melroy was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1994, after being involved in the Air Force since 1983. She’s commanded a space shuttle and has logged more than 924 hours in space. Melroy left the agency in August 2009, according to NASA and to serve as the Deputy Director, Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
And for Kauai High School junior Jake MacDonald and recent Kauai High graduates, Hugh Ishikawa and Alaysia Navor, the conversation was one they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
“Throughout the call, I truly enjoyed learning to from someone with as many accomplishments as Pam, “ said MacDonald, who is interested in joining the Air Force after high school. “I loved how there were so many details you might not think about, that were talked about. For example how much you bond with your crew and essentially treat them as a family which in my opinion shows how much these strong humans are exactly still just people unlike how many people make them seem to be just idols.”
MacDonald said throughout the presentation he was fascinated with facts about the (ISS) International Space Station, which orbits the Earth every 90 minutes.
“I don’t think about that often; how small our planet is and seems from a third perspective,” said MacDonald.
The conversation was organized by Kaua‘i High School’s (CTE) Career and Technical Education teacher Greg Anderson, who made the call possible by partnering with Jim Lanson, a good friend and old colleague from New York. The pair worked in separate Kaua‘i schools in 2014. The virtual meeting with Melroy was also attended by some of Lanson’s students in the greater Rochester region.
Lanson said Melroy’s brother was a high school classmate of his brother, and he remembers hearing stories about her desire to become an astronaut when she graduated high school in 1979.
“She has lived her dreams through hard work, perseverance, and general goodwill to aide humankind,” said Lanson. “We are in unusual times and my goal was for students to realize they, too, can achieve their dreams by persevering through difficulties.”
Anderson said Melroy teaches the keiki the power of focus and hard work in achieving dreams.
Through the use of virtual meetings and distance learning, Anderson has connected his students with other inspirational professionals as well, including local business leaders, for trainings and inspirational talks. He says the need to transition to online platforms become a blessing in disguise because of the extra opportunities.
“We did one with Chock Brady at Marriot, head of HR, who told us about the impact COVID-19 has had on his organization,” said Anderson.
Anderson said because they have a Gather Federal Credit Union branch on campus, he was able to get Terri Kaniho Marketing Manager of Gather FCU to meet with his students.
“She has been outstanding, they came to talk to our students about the impact of COVID-19 and how they had to make changes for their members,” said Anderson. “ (And) Leesha Kawamura of Hawaiian Airlines, a board member of our academy, told us about the impact COVID-19 had on the airline industry and the difference it is compared to Hurricane Iniki.”
Lanson added: “Distance learning is a continuous process for all in education. We should do our best as teachers to provide a congruent level of instruction, and students should continue to demonstrate their best effort from home. Together we can achieve favorable outcomes, and students can continue to develop and enhance their skill set. The sky is the limit…well, maybe even further than that.
